Process of making copper sulfate.



No. 788.862. PATENTED MAY 2, 19051.

A. L. WALKER.

PROCESS OF MAKING HOPPER SULFATE. APILIOATIOH nun APB-.14, 1904.

I WITNESSES: I

INVENTOR No. 788,862. PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

V A. L. WALKER.

PROCESS OF MAKING COPPER SULFATE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.14, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ITNESSES: v INVENTDR %//W%Z% 14 41 4. I'M/ 54 ATTORNEY BY 1 %./W A vmczA.

I ARTHURL/WALKER,

Patented May 2, 11505.

PATENT OFFICE.

OF NEW YURK, N. Y.

Faceless-F MAKING cop'pzh SULFATE.

srncmrcnzrron forming part of Letters Jiatent No. 788,862, dated ma 2,1905.

' Applicati on filed April '14, 1904.. Serial lie. 203,214.

To all whom itmwy concern/i Be it known that I, ARTHUR L; VVALKER, a

citizen of the United States, residing in the passes over the copper itunites chemically city of New York, county of Richmond, and State of NewYork, have invented anew and useful'Process of Producing Sulfate-ofCopper from Copper and Sulfuric Acid, of which i the following is aspecification. My invention relates'to the production, by

to obtain economically a continuous, rapid,

and complete combinationof the elements employed in aconcentrated formready for crystallizatiomi The present method of producing blue vitriolconsists of placingshot-copper in towers through which a solution of-hotsulfuric acid is allowed to flowjntermittently. As the acid with so muchof the copper as has been oxidized by the action of theair, forming byre- I crystallization. The present method is also objectionableeconomically on account of the 5- -have to be. replaced in the actionsulfate of copper. As the dissolving solution drains oif the air reachesthe copper again, slightly oxidizing it while the solution is beingreheated and pumped up again foranother flow. This operation iscontinued untilthe solution is saturated, after which it" is frequentlynecessary, if a diluted form of sulfuric acid has been used, toconcentrate in order to bring the solution to the crystallizing-point.After saturation and concentratration the solution is crystallized. Thismethod, is slow and intermittent and on account of slimy impuritiesdeposited on the copper eifects'only a partial combination of theelements employed. A residuum of copper coated. with slime is left atthe bottom of the towers, which then have-to be cleaned out. The smallerpieces of copper are lost in washing out the towers, while the largerpieces towers and submitted to anew operation. Theconcentrated solutionalso contains more or .less. gold and silver, which is carried into theblue vitriol in weara'nd tear of the acid on the pumps used 7 or seriesof tanks.

tolift the solution after each flow and the power required to move andremove the liquid.

Bythe process which constitutes my invention the aboiie-inentioneddifiicu'lties are obviated in the following manner: The solutioncontaining the sulfuric acid is run into a tank in baskets or perforatedboxes, which are alternately immersed in the acid and withdrawntherefrom, the baskets being preferably soarranged that at all times atleast one is in contact with the acid. A heating coil placed in thebottom of the tanks keeps the solution at a proper temperature. Near thetop of the tank is provided an outlet-pipe connecting directly with thecrystallizingpans, and around, the outlet-pipe. extending downward to alevel near the bottom of the tank, is placed a shield which allows onlythe heavy concentrated solution of sulfate of copper which has settledto the lower part of the tank and passed under the shield to reach theoutlet; from which it emerges in a suitable condition for crystalli-.zati0n.. The gold and silvercontained in argentiferouscopper settle tothe bottom of the tank, thereby reducing the amount of foreign mattercontained in the crystallized blue vit- The shot-copper is placed riol.The immersion of a basket containing copper brings such copper, whichhas been partly oxidized by the action of the air in the same manner asundcr'the present method, into contact with-the acid. When the basket iswithdrawn, the acid drains through the interstices of the basket'backinto the tank, and

as the aircircul'ates freely through the basket it produces furtheroxidation more" rapidly than when the'copper remains stationary inatower. At each subsequent immersion the slime is washed off the copperand falls tothe bottom'of the tank, whence it can be removed throughasuitable opening. In this way the copper is dissolved more rapidly andperfectly than under the present system. The sulfate "of copper, beingheavier thanthe sulfufic acid, sinks toward the lower part of the tank,with the most concentrated solution at the outletpipe a constant flow ofsulfate of copper into the crystalljzing pans or tanks is main bottom; Anew supply of acid solution is fed continuously into the tank, whilethrough the tained. The solution is maintained at a proper temperatureand evaporated. if desired, by the heating-coil in the bottom of thetank. The operation thus becomes continuous and at the same timeproduces a more rapid and perfect combination of elements in aconcentrated form ready for crystallization. It is also economical inavoiding entirely the. use of pumps, in utilizing all the copper at arate from two to four times as fast as under the presentmethod, insaving the gold and silver contained in the ore, and in reducing greatlythe amount of power required for operation. Such saving of power isfurther effected by operating the baskets in pairs, arrangedsubstantially to balance each other at the respec-- tive ends of awalking-beam.

The accompanying drawings,- in which like reference-numerals refer tolike parts of the device, represent a specimen of apparatus containing atank with three pairs of baskets for carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a sectionalview through the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings'in detail, 3 is a wheel revolving slowly onthe shaft 4, which carries the eccentrics 5. Each eccentric is connectedby the pitman 6 to the walkingbeam 7, oscillating upon the shaft 8. Ateach end of the walking-beam 7 is the end piece 9, over which rides thechain 10. The end piece 9 is curved in the are in which the end of thebeam travels, so that the basket 11, which is suspended at the end ofthe chain 10 and contains the shot-cop per, always moves up and down ina straight line. Under the walking-beam 7 is the tank 12, containing thesulfuric-acid solution, at a suitable distance topermit the basket 11 tobe immersed therein on the downward stroke of the beam and to be whollywithdrawn therefrom on its upward stroke. Sulfuric acid is fed to thetank 12 by the pipe 13, while sulfate of copper flows out through theoutlet 14. The shield 15 surrounds the outlet 14 from a point above thelevel of the sulfuric acid in the tank to a point near the bottom of thetank. The tank is also provided with a heating-coil 16 and an aperturein the bottom closed by the plug 17, through which the slime may bewashed out at suitable intervals.

What l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The process of producing sulfate of copper economically,continuously, rapidly, with production of sulfate of copper by thechemical reaction ofsulfuric acid in tanks upon copper alternatelyinunersed in such tanks and withdrawn therefrom.

3. The process of producing sulfateof copper rapidly, economically andwith the com-.

plete combination of the elements employed, by the alternate immersionof shot-copper in, and its withdrawal from, a heated solution ofsulfuric acid.

4. The process of producing sulfate of copper by maintaining a pool ofsi1lfuric-acidsolution of sufficient depth to permit the heavier liquidto accumulate at the bottom, and into such pool repeatedly immersingshot-copper and withdrawing it therefrom.

The process of producing sulfate of copper in a form ready forcrystallization by withdrawing from the bottom of a deep pool ofsulfuric-acid solution the heavy concentrated .solution resulting fromalternately immersing shot-copper in such therefrom.

6. The process of producing sulfate of copper economically,continuously, rapidly, with the complete combination of the elementsemployed and in a form ready for crystallization by alternatelyimmersing shot-coppern, and withdrawing it from a receptacle containinga deep pool of sulfuric-acid solution, continuously fed and heated, fromthe bottom of which the heavier liquid is continuously withdrawn.

Signed at Perth Amboy, New Jersey, April 12, 1904..

ARTHUR L. WALKER.

ln presence of EDMOND DE MONSEIGLE, A. H. TYRoLER.

pool andwithdrawing it

